Here’s a review of two new shows: “The Whole Truth”-a stellar series about a prosecutor and some spellbinding tales. “Chase” is a series about U.S. marshalls and some, eh, “chase and capture” scenes. One we look forward to, the other we’ll not watch again.
Christine O’Donnell won Delaware’s primary for U.S. Senator. We’ve got some recent pics and video of her and many thoughts on where Delaware’s GOP might be going.
Guest Writer Michelle goes to Disneyland and takes the readers along with her.
Finally, some miscellaney to amuse, including Lucy the Cat, thoughts on the Food Police, how to know if you’re from California and an invention needed.
Pic of the Day
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ABC’s “The Whole Truth”
Maura Tierney is most well known for her role in the long running series “ER”. As I recall, there were some problems with her and ER, something involving other cast mates.
Wonder of wonders, Maura Tierney shows back up with a series of her own. I must suppose there’s a dearth of actresses in Hollywood that an actress with a Diva-like reputation gets an entire show for want of such actresses.
But I jest.
Folks, this is a really good show. Maura Tierney plays Kathryn Peale, an Assistant DA who prosecutes interesting cases along with a street savvy sidekick and a wet-behind-the-ears newbie she is expected to mentor.
Rob Morrow, who I’ve never heard of, plays a veteran defense attoryney, Jimmy Brogran. Character Brogan has a relationship with character Peale that is not quite clear to the audience.
But that’s part of the show’s charm.
First, I’m not majorly in love with Tierney as an actress but she does okay. I never much liked her character on ER, which I once watched with a devotion. However, I must allow that maybe it was the character I didn’t much like as opposed to Tierney’s acting.
Frankly I’m not overly in love with Kathryn Peale the character and at some point I begin to ponder if this all isn’t because, well Tierney’s smile doesn’t exactly light up the world. She has a huge overbite with that top lip and it comes off as a kind of pout but maybe it’s just me.
Kathryn Peale is a tough as nails prosecutor who staples her blouse sleeves for lack of buttons. She can, if need be, apologize for her errors or admit to going down a wrong prosecutorial path. She can, but she doesn’t like it.
It’s the show’s story line which has enough of an appeal to actually make me look forward to it, now going on two weeks in a row.
What’s the big appeal?
It’s a story with a beginning, middle and end.
And ah, folks, you got to stick around to the very end to find out who did it.
Which doesn’t mean the beginning of middle build up of the story line doesn’t keep one’s attention. Indeed for the premiere of the show we had a very nice teacher fellow prosecuted by Peale, and found guilty by the jury, that had me guessing if he really murdered the adolescent girl as accused. This past week we had a young woman who, maybe, maybe not, really pushed her father off of the ferry, the poor man in a wheelchair and unable to save his self.
There’s enough rocks and nooks and crannies in the storylines to keep this viewer guessing. We might have devout nuns, dedicated wives, confused children, helpful neighbors, and witnesses with questionable pasts. All become part of the story and all lead up to this show’s unique in terms of this sort of televised genre.
For the viewer will not know, until the very end, no matter how the trial outcome, no matter the jury’s verdict, who really did the deed.
And it is a surprise, even to short story mystery writers such as myself.
Tune in to this show. It’s different and a most surprising and positive way.
”Chase”
Just to clear things up from the get-go, blurb from the NBC web site for this show below:
Chase" is a fast-paced drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("CSI" franchise, "The Amazing Race", "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson ("Cold Case") that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America's most dangerous fugitives. Kelli Giddish ("Past Life") stars as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run. Cole Hauser ("K-Ville"), Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break"), Rose Rollins ("The L Word") and Jesse Metcalfe ("Desperate Housewives") also star as members of Frost's elite team.
A series about U.S. Marshals whose job it is to locate and bring criminals to justice would involve, we must imagine, some action capture scenes.
This is not to say that this is not an entertaining sort of show. Common sense would dictate that such a show would feature, duh, some serious, er, CHASE and capture scenes.
On the series’ premiere we had two such scenes, one to begin the show and one to end. At the beginning we had, I’m not making this up, U.S. Marshall deputy Annie Frost actually running through an ongoing rodeo to catch the bad guy. The final “capture” scene had her jumping off of a bridge in pursuit of the bad guy who had just jumped to hoped-for freedom in the river below.
And that’s pretty much it in terms of this show. We have a bad guy committing all sorts of crime, a somewhat predictable story line, and some chase and capture scenes to end it all.
I’m not going to watch it again because….well I’ve seen enough.
Yon readers’ mileage may vary. I’m just telling my opinion.
Lucy the Calico
She poses so I put her pic here just because…well she deserves it.
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Invention Needed
I always know whether I’ve closed the garage door when I pull the Jeep INSIDE of the garage because…well hey, the door’s right there where I can see it.
It’s when I pull out of the garage and drive off to my destination that I often can’t remember whether I’d closed the garage via the handy dingy-thingy in the Jeep just for the job.
Husband has same problem.
Thus I often must phone him up from some point down the road and ask that he check the garage door is shut cause, well I just couldn’t remember.
He too will phone me from some destination down the road and ask that I too go check if he closed the garage door.
If we both drive off together, yes we’ve had to turn around and check if we closed the garage door.
For to leave that door open is to hang out a big sign, burglars stop here, free stuff in the garage and hey, the door to the house is also unlocked.
So here’s the invention needed. I hereby relinquish all rights I have to any monies from my idea so long as I get the invention.
Somehow create an “open/Close” sign on the thingy that opens and closes the garage. My Jeep has a built-in thing requiring matching up the signals in some fashion but I’d be willing to carry a device if it had, say….a big red OPEN on it every time the garage door was…well OPENED. Same thing with the word CLOSE.
Thus I pull out of the garage, I push the button to close the garage door, which would have a big LED “OPEN” on it, and which would then flip to a big LED word “CLOSED” upon the push to shut the thing.
I’m sure such a thing is possible here in this great United States of America and some smart entrepreneur who would want fame and fortune, or maybe just fortune.
Then when I am down the road and concern comes upon me as to whether I closed the garage door, bingo, I pick up the garage door-opener device and am comforted as I see the big LED word “CLOSED” in bright red letters assuring me that the homestead is safe.
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Just for Smiles
CALIFORNIA
So as not to be outdone by all the redneck,hillbilly, and Texan jokes, somebody had to come up with this, you know you're from California if ...
1. Your coworkers each have 8 body piercings and none are visible.
2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.
3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.
4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.
5. You can't remember ... is pot illegal ?
6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
8. You can't remember ... is pot illegal ?
9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.
10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon morethan anywhere else in the U.S.
11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.
12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
13. You can't remember ... is pot illegal ?
14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."
15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.
16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
17. HEY !!!! Is pot illegal ???
18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.
19. The Terminator is your governor.
20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one :)
Heh.
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The Food Police and KFC’s “Double Down”
Once a week, on grocery shopping day, I treat myself to some sort of wildly unhealthy food that might contain sugar, cholesterol, calories, fat or all of the above.
Hey, we gotta have a break once in a while or we’ll break the healthy diet ALL of the time.
It’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I have cut out all sugar from my diet, almost. I mind cholesterol and fat levels and of late I’ve taken to reading the caloric counts as well.
So I stop at Kentucky Fried chicken and folks, this is really rare. Usually my once a week “treats” might be some super-market produced ready-to-eat product, perhaps some dip for crackers.
I saw the KFC chain’s product called “DoubleDown” as I pulled through the lane.
Here’s a food product that has the Food Police in our midst, these being folks with no life of their own and who must devote their lives to policing the rest of us to vanilla boredom and endless political correctness, all in a tizzy. Main Food Police Maven, First Lady Moochelle Obama-she who hardly wins any prizes for lean and mean, practically rolls eyeballs back to the back of her skull, over the audacity of any food chain daring to offer such a food symbol of fat, calories, grease and everything else good, in one fast foot offering.
This product consists of two deep fried chicken patties that serve as a sort of “bread” for a filling of tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and cheese within.
I read somewhere that one of these things is over 800 calories alone.
I thought about it, sitting in the Jeep. I thought about my heart, the bypass, the clogged arteries.
As much as I wanted to, just once in my lifetime before my heart will suddenly up and quit on me, taste this food of such ill-repute, I just could not do it.
Someday, if the Food Police have their way, such purchases will be recorded directly into my medical record and sent directly to my Cardiologist. The gubmint will probably get a copy and next day I’ll get a warning email from the Doc and Moochelle will warn that my health insurance will be dropped should I do such a thing again.
Though I write tongue-in-cheek, if not tongue-in-double-down, folks, it’s where we’re heading.
Moochelle and the Food Police dream of this deep into the night.
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Fish Matriarch and Visit
She’s 80 years young and I must admire how she plans her trips, orders the driver for the airport runs, schedules the flites and all involved with catching the airplance to come here to the swamps of Delaware for an annual visit.
It’s my mother-in-law and Fish Matriarch, Betty Fish, picture below.
We had a great visit and looking forward to next year.
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Christine O’Donnell and the Sussex County Republican Woman’s Club
Frankly I don’t know what’s going on with the Republican party in Delaware but for now I sense there’s a “wait and see” attitude.
So far as I am concerned Tom Ross, Delaware GOP Chairman, lost any scrap of credibility he had with his “dogcatcher” remark. I could understand if the candidate challenging Castle for the GOP nomination for state Senator were some kind of rogue outlier, but O’Donnell had been nominated by Tom’s OWN PARTY to run against Biden in 2008.
As of this writing, Mike Castle managed to get one leg in his man pants and decided not to run on a write-in vote. With just a little effort he could have shrugged the pants on completely and endorsed the Delaware Republican base choice as voted on fair and square…Christine O’Donnell.
At dawn in the morn after this writing it will be October and the race for Delaware’s Senator will begin its full frenzy.
As I understand it, O’Donnell has hired a campaign staff of professionals and she has a battalion of volunteers all ready to get out there against the Democratic liberal Chris Coons.
Heh. Coons, who raised property taxes under his reign as NCC Executive by, get this FORTY THREE PERCENT!
Coons, who spent time in Kenya to return home with a sudden insight that America is not, eh, all it’s cracked up to be.
Coons….WHO IS HARRY REID’S “PET”….that alone is a real hoot and hardly any claim to electoral fame.
I don’t think Coons is going to win this race, not for a single minute do I think this. This is a short, bald, America-hating, Obamer-loving, Harry Reid’s “pet”, charisma-less nothing burger.
The O’Donnell campaign, with a treasury almost three million strong, funded by us little boobs who elected her from all across the fruited plains, will make mince-meat out of this guy.
Delaware would rather have a witch than Chris Coons, y’all mark my words.
On 9/22/10 I attended the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club (SCRWC) monthly luncheon, of which I am a member. All of the local and state candidates were there becauset yon non-Delaware residing ladies gems, Sussex County is a way bigger political force in this day and age, way more than New Castle County.
Below some pics of the event.
Below, some video from the event
O’Donnell sneaks in
O’Donnell gets together with politicos
O’Donnell says to extend bush tax cuts
O’Donnell says to eliminate death tax
O’Donnell on how the gubmint CAN’T help
O’Donnell on the American dream
O’Donnell on the eyes of the world/the media
Little old Delaware, who’d have thunk we’d capture the fancy of America?
Drivel: Disneyland, Driftwood and Deja Vu
Captain Eo is back, HERE!
The year is 1986. Harry and I are still newlyweds of four years, not too long back into the northern area from our two-year sojourn in southern California. We take a trip to Disneyland and of all the rides and shows only one stays in my memory for the years since . . . Captain Eo. It's probably the first 3D show I saw, and I was amazed. Featuring Michael Jackson's music and dance, it had a somewhat cheesy science fiction theme, but I was entranced by it.
Flash forward to 2010. It's the end of April and Harry has made time on his busy spring calendar for us to take a trip to Disneyland. Even though we went in 2008, we heard Captain Eo was being brought back (no doubt for Disneyland to make some money from Michael Jackson's death) and Harry and I both wanted to see it again. This time, we're not so much newlyweds anymore, and we've seen *lots* of 3D shows. Regardless, it was everything I remembered, if a bit more cheesy. The music and dance are still excellent, and that little fuzzball with the wings still entrances me at the end when it floats there directly in front of my nose.
Unexpectedly, I cried, both times we saw it. The loss of the talent that was Michael saddens me, much the way I grieved over Michael Landon's too-early death.
The rest of the Disneyland trip was exquisite. We treated ourselves to luxury. Last time, in 2008, we stayed at a Best Western up the street and had to wait for the shuttle to take us to the park. This time, we stayed in the Paradise Pier Hotel, which is one of the Disneyland hotels, and could walk in.
We had a twelfth floor room with a view into California Adventure. We could hear the screams from the California Screaming roller coaster in our room, if faintly. The windows were apparently pretty thick. Early one morning Harry awoke me to come see the show; the park was testing their colored lights and water fountains for the soon-to-open World of Color show. It was beautiful.
The luxury didn't stop with the room view, though. We valeted the car; gave the keys to the guy standing in front of the hotel and didn't see it again for three days. We had a bellhop (I'm sure they don't call them that anymore) take our luggage up to the room.
We got room service both mornings, because it felt good and because that got us into the park early. As a guest at a Disneyland hotel, you get entrance to Disneyland an hour early (only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland rides are open) but the restaurant doesn't open until 7am, the same hour you're allowed into the park. Add in time to order and be served, and you're not really early in the park at all. Room service, however, starts at 6am.
We charged restaurant meals and drinks at the bar to the room. We also found out - as a guest of a Disneyland hotel - we could charge park items to the room, too. Gift shops and restaurants and even that place that has your terrified picture from the roller coaster all can be charged to your room. We didn't know until the last day that some would deliver your purchase to your room, as well.
I felt pampered and I loved every minute of it. Every staffmember from the guy in the Goofy costume to the waiter at the hotel restaurant made it their personal job to see we were happy and satisfied. Way different from "service" locally, at least most of the time.
The only um... bad... part was that I let Harry talk me into going on the Space Mountain ride. Now I remember why I don't like roller coasters. We got that terrified picture, though, since I don't expect to be on another. I look dead, while Harry looks like he's having a great time. Hmmm...
Oh, and here are three of my favorite quotes from the trip. While Harry does a scary ride, I wait groundside and sometimes the conversations going by are just funny.
The first was a dad and his daughter, hand-in-hand, running by as I sat on a bench. The daughter looks maybe 10; dad likely late 20s/early 30s. Daughter is clutching a backpack and moans as they run past, "Do we have to run everywhere?" Seems to me it's supposed to be the other way around.
The next, as I wait outside a beer-tasting event (Harry spent $10 and tasted four beers). A couple, with a young boy, confer once they see the price on the entry booth. After a bit, he goes inside, while she and son walk into the park. "No," she says as they walk past me, "we're going to have *fun.* Daddy's going off to be an alcoholic."
And the last, as I wait at the exit for the Matterhorn, a couple comes off the ride with their two children. The kids are both wailing and looking a bit green. The mom shrugs and says, "I guess they're a bit too young."
Once we'd gotten home and rested a bit, we put the driftwood from our poor bathtub (it's a bit brown now) into the tank. The aquarium looks better but I'm having trouble getting a good picture of it. I think because the gravel is black, the darkness makes it harder.
The pH battle continues. I got a tip from my good friend Ken, and now have some peat moss floating in the sump (contained in partial panty hose with zip ties). The pH has dropped from the original 8.8 plus down to 8.0 and seems to be continuing to fall. When we change the water it's down in the 7s for about a day, but comes back up to the 8 range again. At least overall it is dropping. And the fish are hanging in there. No doubt they'll do better with it lower, but I haven't found a dead one in weeks.
And last, do you remember Drivel: Junk Mail? Yep, we did it again. I don't know if I told you that our Honda Civic Hybrid was having some battery issues. Not the starting battery, but the engine assist battery. Yeah, that big one in the trunk that costs an immense amount of money to replace. For no apparent reason, it would drain while I was sitting at a stoplight or railroad track. We had it in for service but they couldn't find anything wrong with it. No computer codes, and no idiot lights.
Weird thing only seemed to happen when it was warm, too; I went all winter without issue and then it started up again about a month ago. Just about the time the main warranty expired, too. The warranty on the battery was still in effect, but if they can't find a problem, there's nothing to fix, right? Plus, Harry tells me, it's likely the battery charging system, not the battery itself.
I began to not trust my car.
Then, lo! In the mail comes another letter from Honda. They're doing it again... offering us a great deal if we trade in our old car on any new or used car on the lot. So I make an appointment and we go see Ben on a Saturday about two weeks ago.
I looked up Kelly Blue Book trade-in value for our old car first, and stuck to my guns about what I wanted for the old one and what I was willing to do for monthly payments. After all, we didn't have to trade. I could just wait for this one to finally die. And yes, I did tell them the battery had some kind of issue the service department couldn't find. I don't think they listened.
And... now I'm driving a 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid. It doesn't look much different. This one is a bit darker grey, and the plates are dealer new-car placeholders. But I *feel* much different for two reasons: Because I trust this car (the warranty starts again) and because of something Harry said when we were at the dealership.
We were offered colors, since we didn't like anything on the local lot. If the car we wanted was available at another dealership, Ben would drive there and get it. The car comes in these colors, with these interior colors. The only two interior colors are blue and beige. We had beige on the 2007. And Harry says, "I don't really care for the blue, but it's your car."
How sweet is that? It's my car... what more can I say?
Michelle
The Desk Drawer writer's exercise list
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A Brain Infection? A Medical Journey Surpassed by Few
A Medical Odyssey to a Quadruple Heart Bypass
My Twitter Page, I post all Blog posts there with the link
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